Sex And Power

Power and sex is a heady mix but the arrest of Dominque Strauss-Kahn, the head of the IMF is, without doubt, the stuff of conspiracy theorists.  He has been accused of the sexual assault of a New York hotel chambermaid.

Strauss-Kahn is thought to have been considering a bid for France's 2012 presidential election so it's perfectly obvious he has enemies who would wish to see him humiliated.

In my youth I had a career in hotel management which I practiced in England, Switzerland and Germany.  It wasn't unusual for housekeeping staff to make complaints against guests and many, when investigated, were substantiated once the threat of police involvement was threatened.

There are some - usually men - who think, when they reserve a hotel room, they are entitled to abuse the staff as well as benefit from the usual services offered.  These folks are transparent within minutes of their arrival in the building.  The words 'please' or 'thank you' never cross their thin lips and their self-importance is highly visible.  Little do they know that experienced staff suss them out immediately and can have great amusement at the expense of their arrogance.  They are people who feel a hotel should feel privileged to have a 'VIP' guest such as themselves.

Now and again staff would have a titter at the exploits of the married man away from home who felt, if he ordered more towels for the bathroom, he was entitled to the company of the chambermaid who delivered them.  If only they realised how well trained the staff were not to explode into laughter when they saw the room resident emerge, pathetically naked, from the bathroom to accept the fresh laundry. I've always suspected they wished their middle name was Adonis.

It wasn't only pitiful married men who fostered a desire to looking for excitement; on several occasions international figures attempted more complex ways to ensure a female member of staff would enter their domain.

Never, in my years in the industry, did I hear of a court case connected with improper conduct being brought, by a hotel employee, against a guest. The issues were quickly resolved without the law being involved.

But Mr Strauss-Kahn's case is different.  There's no cover-up and the law appears to have been speedily engaged. Society has changed since my youth but I suspect there's more to this than a complaint from a chambermaid.

Of course it's humiliating for the boss of the IMF, who struts the world as the saviour of fiscally naughty countries, and the US law enforcers may decide his public abasement is enough of a punishment, although if the case does reach the law courts he may well be labelled as 'suffering' from satyriasis and be compelled to attend one of Patrick Carnes' clinics.

His arrest comes at a critical moment in French politics. France's Socialist Party, the main opposition party, holds a 'primary' contest to pick a runner for the residential race and candidates have to register soon.  Strauss-Kahn was widely expected to declare his intentions by late June.

Whatever the outcome of his arrest, his position of power looks distinctly much weaker than it did a week ago.

If I were a believer in conspiracy theories I would suggest that Mr Strauss-Kahn will be quietly removed from his post in the next couple of months.  Few would notice and what does it matter to joe public anyway?

As a non-believer I would like to see the man brought before his peers, if there is a good enough case against him.  Too often have I been aware of men, in positions of power, abusing female hotel staff in the anonymous environment of a hotel room then using their money and power to buy silence.

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